Motor-truck axle



June 5, 1923.

R. A. WHITTING HAM MOTOR TRUCK AXLE I -Sheet l Original Filed Nov. L, 1919 4 Sheets June 5, 1923. y 1,457,682

' R. A. WHITTINGHAM MoToR TRUCK AxLE original Filed Nov. 5, i919 4 sheets-sheet 2 June 5, 1923.

R. A.y WHITTINGHAM MOTOR TRUCK AXLE Original Filed Nov. 5', 1919 4 Sheets-Sheet f5 wmt. l?!

June 5, 1923. 1,457,682

R. A. WHITTINGHAM MOTOR TRUCK AXLE Original Filed-NOV. 5,' 1919 k4 Sheets-Sheet 4 A Ir11/1111111111111111111111/ Patented June 5, 1923.

'4 UNiTv- RICHARD a WHITTINGHAM, or NEWARK, DELAWARE, AssIGNon 'ro` Arras Axnn COMPANY, or WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, 'A oonronarIoN oiDErpavvat1`i'. A f

y Moron-,TRUCK AKI-in.

Appiieatioii mea November 5, 19,19,seriaiNoflssaeivQ RenewedJanuari/emana.

To all whomit may 'con/cern: y p 4 Be it known that I, Rioiinnn A.y Wrirr- TINGHAM, a citizen of the United States, re-j siding at Newark, in the'Q-county offKNeW. Castle and State of Delaware, have invented certain new rand useful. Improvements iii Motor-Truck Axles, yof which the following isl a specification. Y. Y v One objectof this invention is to provide a rear axle for motor driven trucks which.

will be strong and durable and which will have a high clearance over the roadway; another object is to provide means whereby the working parts of the differential mechanism will bereadily accessible for inspecu tion and adjustment, and whereby. said machanism may be readily assembled vin, the axle or removed for inspection and repairs; another object is to VVprovide a rear axle con-A struction wherein the driving shafts will;` be entirely enclosed within the axle housing which supports the load. The invention also comprises other features of construction which willlbe clear from the following speciiication, taken in vconnection with the ac# companying drawing, invwhioh,v f Fig. 1 is a rearV elevation of a truck axle, embodying myy improvements;

F ig..2 is atoprplan view of the same; Fig.V 3 is a longitudinal section through one of the vdrive shafts;

Fig. 4 is a section through the iii on the linel L1:--4'015 Fig. l;

i-g. 5i`s asimilar-section on the line 5-f5 ofFig. l;` Fig.'6 is a horizontalfsection through the central ortionpof the axle;

i F ig'.y isa section` onV the Fig. 6;

thev axle housing and differential casing.;

Fig. 9 is a section on the line\9-9fof Fig.l i

enclosing the differential' assembly, detached A ringl which *forms a closure for the rearaxlelhous` `ent-ial assembly lC 6);.

comprises two parts 6vv and-@of sn'ia'lleradi.

Fig. 8 ris a central, vertical'section'through O lnl:w .the :housing and rear endofthe casing.:A g Referring to Figs, l, 12,114, andqQ-qofthe'- is, iil .the @fm-.f elm sirdemafetansular in cross-section, and having f depending.-pore;g.v

davnesl indcaesrth arl@ housing which? .Goff

tions a at. itsends. i The central. portion ai? f of. the f housing is enlarged' vertically,A as@v shown lin Fig.l,lan'd widened, as Vshow'ninj Fig. 2, topi'ovide,roomfor the differentialassembly which is contained in a casing; B,

removably .secured withinthe y'axle housing,i-` p l ashereinafter described. jTheaxle housing.

'isgprovided withend wallson'eiof whiqh'ig portionsrofthe` housing having vertical walls as., spaced froiiifthe wallsfa .'.Fubulargy bosses lgproject inwardly vfrom'theendwallsl walls f'a' and I; are securedV by' lock? nuts;v :3,- threadedLoii to the'inner endszof the spin#l dles and'bearing againstjthe. walls a3: The

spindles kare f drawnl tightly intoplace by., theflo'cl nuts. f H' Cir-cular. openings are'iprovided i f: i' Y* in the front vand rear walls of the axleihousi'. if `ing vto Apermit. of theinsertionr andv removalofthe casingfB, which contains'the differ-k a?, and the'. wheelsp'indles 2,extend-through@i said. .b0sse s and through openings ini' the ameter athanf the openings 4 and 5. -in'fthev .axlehousing .and a dapted to pass into@ the;v

threaded.. sockets'l() onthe` part l sa :The rear end ofthe party has.ai"i'llii'igiv poured int-o'thecasirig` The casingiseprovidedfwith a;.iiange 12,' prro'jectiiigfroinethe 'L forwardeiid of the Apart6,and inzfadvan 5,067 tension. 113, .which servesgto-y enclosethexsleeve 14:A which vcarries the, bearingsl for the Shaft. ie. i This. Shaft, which is- Operatea ia l the usualv way,"-jthrough'a` universal, joint,

from the propeller shaft of the engine, not

shown, is providedwith a:pinion.l7l,lwithin 90.' f- .p These parts are@v secured togethenfbyfrcapl i casing are formed with bosses 18, on opposite sides o-f the casing, and these bosses are internally threaded toI receive the adjustable sleeves 19, which carrythe bearings in which the differential assembly C is mounted. The differential assembly shown is of a well known form and does not require detailed description. As these bosses aresplit centrally, at the joint between the parts 6 and 7, it will be seen that by taking out the bolts Y, u 8, the bearings and the di'erential assembly can be inspected, or removed, if the drive shafts are withdrawn from the assembly. The differential casing when inserted in the axle housing, asshown in Fig. 6, is supported by cap screws 20, which pass through the "flange 12 intoV the front wall of the axle housing, and by a ring D whichis secured by cap screws 21 to the rear wall of the axle housing and which closely surrounds an annular shoulder 22 on the rear portion of the part 7 of the casing. `"When the casing is ring D.

secured in place,the opening in the front wall of the axle housing is closed by the flange 12, and the opening in the rear wall of said housing is closed by the supporting j The drive shafts, from the difer-y ential mechanism to the traction wheels of the vehicle, may be solid shafts, such as indicated at 23 in Fig.` 1, and provided as Y usual with splines or angular parts at their inner ends for engaging the beveled pinions in the differential assembly. 1t will be obvious that when the solid shafts are used, these shafts will :have toy be pulled endwise out of the way of the differential casing before the latter can be inserted into or removed from the axle housing. In order to give this endwise mo-vement to a drive shaft, the wheel, which it drives, in some makes of trucks, must be removed from the axle. The solid axle will ordinarily be used for heavy trucks, and also for the lighter trucks inl situations where the repairs can be attended to in well equipped shops where the work of' removing and replacing the wheels is not difficult Butvin order to obviate the necessity of'removingthe wheels, to remove or replace the differential mechanism, I have provided drive shafts, each in two telescopic parts, so that the inner end portions of the shafts'may be moved into or out of the differential casing without requiring endwise j other part far -enough toclear the dilferential casing.

yReferring to Figs. 3, 6, 7, and 11,i of the drawing, S indicates a drive shaft composed, as `shown'inl the drawing, of a tube 24, in

which is secured at one end a short solid rod 25, splined to engage the driving pinion 26, the opposite end of the tube being enlarged as shown at 27. l/Vithin this enlarged end of the tube is secured a bushing 28. This bushing which is preferably welded to the tube, has internal grooves 28a on its inner half,.and it is recessed in its outer half to receivea rotatable sleeve 29. An adjustable shaft section 30 fits within the bushing and is provided with splines 30 which fit within the grooves 28bjin the bushing, and the shaft section also has external threads which are engaged by internal threads on the sleeve 29. The arrangement is such that the-rotar.

sleeve 29 has an outwardly turnedV flange 29a, provided with' a series of kprojections 29h, and a detent 31, secured to the tubular portion of the shaft is adapted to fit between the projections and hold the sleeve in any position of adjustment. v

1n Fig. 6,'which shows the parts in'their operative positions, it will benoted thatthe shaft sections 30 are extended to engage the gears in the differential casing. 1n this `position, the flanges on the' sleeves 29 abut against packing rings 32 on the cages- 19 which carry the bearings for the differential assembly. 1

1n assembling the differential mechanism in the axle housing, the diiferential casing'is inserted through the opening 4 and the flange 12 is bolted to the casing, and the supporting ring D is fitted around therear end of the differential casing and bolted to the axle housing. The differential assembly is thus readily assembled and properly positioned in the axle housing. The drive shafts are then inserted through the ends of the axle housing and into the pinions in the diferential assembly. In order to remove thevdifferential casing and assembly entirely from the axle housing, the drive shafts arepulled out endwise of the differential casing, if these are solid shafts, andby unbolting the flange 12, the casing with the differential assembly can be removed as a unit. Where the sectional shafts are used, theJ differential cas-r ingand assembly 'may' be removed, by first taking oil' the ring D, to permit access to the sleeves 29. By turningthese sleeves, the sec# tions 30 of the drive shafts may be telescoped into the main portions of the shafts, as shown in Fig. 11, and when these sections have been moved out of line with the casingfthe flange 12 may be unbolted from the axle housing and the casing can be removed,vas indicated in'Fig. 10. 1n replacing the casing, these operations are reversed. After the casing has been removed, the diiferentialassembly` may be taken out by removing the cap screws8 and separating the sections V6 and 7 of the casing. Access may be had to the parts in the differential assembly without removing the casing entirely from the housing. Thus, by removing the ring D, access may be had to the sleeve 19, and by turning it the bearings of the dierential assembly may be adjusted, if necessary; and as the removal of the ring D exposes the cap screws 8 which hold the two parts of the casing together, these cap screws may be taken out, and this will release the part 7 of the casing which may then be removed through the opening 5 in the rear wall of the axle housing. Fig. 9 shows the casing with the part 7 removed, the gearing being omitted. It will be evident that if the drive shafts are withdrawn from the casing, the differential assembly C, including the sleeves 19, may be taken out through the opening 5 in the rear wall `of the axle housingand replaced vafter inspection or repairs. The part T will then be again secured to the part 6 and the shafts returned to their place within the casing, after which the ring D will be secured in its place.

What I claim is:

l. The combination with an axle housing having front and rearv openings in its central portion, of a differential casing and a differential assembly enclosed therein, said casing, with the assembly therein, adapted to pass through the front opening of the housing and into the rear opening and having a flange adapted for attachment to thel front wall of the housing, and a ring, separate from the casing and housing, encircling the rear end of said casing and detachably secured to the rear Wall of the housing, said ring serving as a support fork the casing and as a closure for the rear opening in the housing.

having front and rear openings in its central 2. The combination with an axle housing portion, of a differential casing `adapted-to pass through the lfront opening and into the rear opening in the housing and having a ilange for attachment to the front wall of the housing, said casing having bearings inr` its opposite sides and being separable along the axial line of said bearings, bolts securing the two parts of the casing together and accessible through the -rear opening in the housing when said opening is uncovered, and

a ring, separate from the lcasing and housing,j detachably secured to the rear wallzof the housing and supporting the casing, said ring ormingfa closure for the rear opening in the housing.

3. The combination l y a differential casing removably supported vWithin the housing,vand a diferential assemwith an 'axle housing, y

bly in -said casing, of drive shafts in said A housing each having atelescopic part movential casing movable into and out vof said i housing through said frontv opening, drivey shafts in said housing eachV shaft kcomprising a main section and ashorter telescopic section, and sleeves journaled in said main sections and threaded onto said short vsections for moving the latter into and out ofthe cas` ing, said sleeves being accessible through said rear opening.

In testimony whereof I affix my si nature """51 `RICHARD A. WHITTING AM. 

